UA Basketball Coaches to Participate in 'Shots from the Heart'

Sean Miller and James Whitford will represent the Wildcats in this free throw shooting contest.

University of Arizona men's basketball coaches Sean Miller and James Whitford will participate in "Shots from the Heart" this season to raise awareness for heart disease and to honor the memory of a coach and friend.

Miller and Whitford will participate in a season-long free throw contest featuring basketball coaches from across the country with the goal of creating awareness for the fight against heart disease and honoring the memory of former college coach Skip Prosser.

"Shots from the Heart" features participating coaches bracketed in a tournament-style format. Beginning in November and continuing regularly through February, coaches will shoot 25 free throws on their campuses while adepartmental staff member will tally and report the results. The coach with the most made free throws in each match-up would advance to the next round.

Miller will be among the 64 coaches in the head coaches' event, while Whitford will represent Arizona in the assistant coaches' event. The event is administered by collegeinsider.com in conjunction with the American Heart Association and the Skip Prosser Foundation.

Miller finished as the national runner-up in the head coaches tournament last year. It is Whitford's first appearance in the event.

"I'm happy to be participating in this event once again," said Miller. "The tournament last year was a very enjoyable experience, not just to raise awareness for the battle against heart disease, but to honor Skip's memory in a competitive way. I am honored to be invited again and am definitely willing to support this cause."

The event began on Nov. 15. Miller will face Northern Arizona head coach Mike Adras in the first round. Whitford's first-round opponent will be St. Peter's assistant Bruce Hamburger. First-round shooting will be completed this week.

"I am honored to be a part of 'Shots from the Heart,'" said Whitford. "I got to know Skip well during his years coaching at Xavier University. I always admired his humble nature, friendly smile and competitive spirit. He affected so manyyoung players and coaches in a positive way. He is truly missed."

In an effort to avoid ties, the following scoring system will be used: shots 1-10 are worth 1 point each, shots 11-15 are worth 2 points each, shots 16-20 are worth three points, shots 21-24 are worth four points and shot 25 is worth five points.

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